The Pro-Hoe Movement Isn’t As Bad As You Think

People hear the phrase, “Pro-Hoe,” and their mind automatically jumps to something negative. I’ve heard people assume that it promotes a reckless lifestyle for women. That’s not true. The Pro-Hoe movement is about sexual liberation. It’s about getting rid of the stigma surrounding women and sex. I’ve seen men and women try to reduce this movement to, “women just being proud to be hoes.” The word “hoe” is just a misogynistic term used to slut shame women. The pro movement involves taking the shame out of that sexist word. It is about reclaiming a derogatory term that has been used against women who don’t fit misogyny’s view of what we’re supposed to be. This movement also shines more light on rape culture in our society. 

This movement has made women more comfortable with publicly discussing sex. Women are taught that sex is a taboo subject. It shouldn’t be mentioned outside of the bedroom. If it wasn’t for women being more open about it now, there’s plenty I wouldn’t even know about sex. A lot of schools, including mines, did not have sex education. People are getting their sexual education from pornography. The same pornography that is geared towards men and their pleasure. Pornography can also be sexist and promote rape culture. There are adults who have no idea how the female genitalia works. They actually believe that a vagina stretches by the number of men a woman sleeps with. There are people who have no clue where a clitoris is. If sex education isn’t in schools, then women should at least be able to educate each other and themselves on their bodies. 

The Pro-Hoe movement teaches women not to uphold misogynistic views on female sexuality. We are taught that sex revolves around a man’s pleasure, not our own. Some women know nothing about their own sexual pleasure. They don’t understand female orgasms or masturbation. Women are also shamed into thinking that casual sex is a bad thing. We aren’t supposed to enjoy sex the way that a man does. The same way body count isn’t as important when it comes to men. But, we feel that a woman’s character can be judged by her body count. We are taught that we should only be sexual on a man’s terms, not our own. 

Many are also working towards getting rid of the stigma around sex work. There is this constant debate about whether sex workers deserve respect. Of course, they deserve respect. The fact that we wonder if sex workers deserve respect, but not the men who pay for their service, is misogynistic. Sex workers are not hurting anyone. They do not deserve to be disrespected the way they are. Sex workers also do not deserve any form of violence towards them.

I’m thankful for the Pro-Hoe movement. It has helped me unlearn the misogynistic views I grew up around. I learned things that I should’ve learned in sexual education at school. I learned more about the female body and sexual pleasure. I even learned more about consent. I no longer see sex as something that is a taboo discussion for women. You’ll never learn if you don’t ask. There’s nothing wrong with casual sex, as long as you’re safe. Body count is also immature. There are people who view this movement in a negative light, while I see it as the complete opposite. I feel like it’s a step in the right direction. It opposes misogyny and rape culture. It’s only viewed as bad because it challenges views that has been instilled in may of us.